


Spider-Baby

by Blizzard_Fire



Series: Bruce Week 2020 [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Brian Banner's A+ Parenting, Bruce Banner Feels, Bruce Banner Has Issues, Bruce Banner Hulks Out, Bruce Banner-centric, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Hulk Talks (Marvel), Mentions of childhood abuse, Michelle Jones Is a Good Bro, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Parent Bruce Banner, Precious Ned Leeds, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Bruce Banner, Protective Hulk (Marvel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:07:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23251420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blizzard_Fire/pseuds/Blizzard_Fire
Summary: It starts with a midnight snack. A 3am snack, to be precise.Bruce creeps downstairs, opens the kitchen door and nearly has a heart attack.Spider-Man, in full costume, hangs upside-down on a thread from the ceiling. In one hand he holds a spatula. In the other, a frying pan. He twists around and the white eyes of his suit go wide. ‘Oh! Uh, hey Doctor Banner!’Bruce stares stonily back, feeling a headache creeping up the side of his forehead. ‘Hey, Peter,’ he says, like this is normal.Bruce doesn't consider himself to be much of a father figure. Until Peter comes along.
Relationships: Bruce Banner & Peter Parker, Hulk & Peter Parker
Series: Bruce Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1671742
Comments: 24
Kudos: 359
Collections: Bruceweek





	Spider-Baby

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt "Protect, Storm" for Bruce Week 2020.
> 
> Bruce & Peter fics are pretty rare and I need more father figure!Bruce in my life so this was born. I couldn’t quite pin down the plot until I listened to Push My Luck by the Chainsmokers.
> 
> Obvs some references to Bruce's shitty childhood and his dad being abusive, and a reference to Bruce's suicide attempt.

It starts with a midnight snack. A 3am snack, to be precise.

Bruce creeps downstairs, opens the kitchen door and nearly has a heart attack.

Spider-Man, in full costume, hangs upside-down on a thread from the ceiling. In one hand he holds a spatula. In the other, a frying pan. He twists around and the white eyes of his suit go wide. ‘Oh! Uh, hey Doctor Banner!’

Bruce stares stonily back, feeling a headache creeping up the side of his forehead. ‘Hey, Peter,’ he says, like this is normal.

Peter tosses the pancake, sets down the pan and flips the right way up. He makes no sound as he lands back on the floor. ‘Couldn’t sleep. Pulled an all-nighter yesterday and now my sleeping schedule’s messed up.’ He pulls the mask off and looks sheepish. ‘I was bored,’ he says, smoothing down his hair self-consciously. ‘And uh, filming TikToks.’ He can’t quite meet Bruce’s eyes. Bruce knows why.

Bruce had first met Spider-Man a few months ago, after a battle he only remembers the beginning of. He'd de-Hulked in time to be impressed by the new guy's dexterity and quick-thinking under pressure. On the jet home, Peter had removed his mask and suddenly the truth of Tony's "Stark Internship" was made apparent. Bruce had later cornered Tony in the lab, furious that he'd put a child in such danger. It had erupted into a shouting match that Bruce had ultimately lost - and as Bruce stormed out, he passed a very red-faced Peter who had been loitering outside and had undoubtedly heard everything. Tony promised to add even more safety features into Peter's suit tech, and nothing further was said on the matter. But the damage was already done, and Peter was forever wary around him after that.

Bruce has no problem with Peter personally, of course.

Peter drapes his mask over the kitchen tap. ‘Why are you up, Doctor Banner? It’s really late.’

Bruce shrugs. ‘Hulk-outs make me hungry.’ He’d woken up feeling like his stomach was digesting itself. He bends down to rummage in the cupboard. He remembers that time he was cornered in Brazil and his bad Portuguese couldn’t save him: ‘You won’t like me when I’m hungry.’

When he glances up, Peter is holding a mixing bowl full of batter. ‘I have a fast metabolism, I know how that feels. Want a 3am pancake?’

Bruce smiles.

He doesn’t see Peter for nearly a week after that.

Bruce is working in the lab one evening when Spider-Man climbs through the window and lands with an audible squelch. ‘Hi, Doctor Banner,’ he pants, red suit dark and shiny in the bright laboratory lights. He slams the window shut against the sudden torrent of rainwater and roll of thunder.

Bruce stares back at him. ‘Uh, Tony’s in his workshop if you’re looking for him – ‘

‘Oh, good. I’m not.’ He whips off the mask. Beneath it, his hair is plastered to his forehead. He looks a little pale. ‘Actually, I was looking for you.’

‘Oh. Okay.’ Bruce puts down his things and steps out from behind the worktable. ‘What do you need?’ Help with homework probably. Tony had warned him the kid was hoping to do a project on him, although it had to be important if he'd come out in the middle of a storm…

‘It’s nothing really.’ He waves a hand and limps over, still dripping water. He walks right up to Bruce and turns around. ‘Could you maybe dig this out real quick?’

Bruce’s jaw drops. Peter’s shoulder is awash with blood, diluted by the rain so that it’s stained all the way down his back. Bruce parts the flesh gently, extracting a gasp. ‘Peter, this is a _bullet_.’

‘Yeah. I know.’ He waves a hand again. ‘It’s really no big deal. Only I know you have medical experience, so…’

Bruce dashes for the first-aid kit. ‘JARVIS, send someone from the medical – ‘

‘No!’ Peter holds up a hand and winces. ‘I don’t want Mister Stark to worry about me.’ His eyes are wide and pleading – god, this kid is so _young_. ‘My healing factor can take care of it but if it’s not out soon then it’ll heal with the bullet still inside.’ He grits his teeth. ‘Please.’

And how can Bruce say no to that? ‘Sit down,’ he orders, leading him over to a squashy couch in the corner of the room (Tony often naps on it when he’s waiting on a project to finish rendering). Peter lies awkwardly on his front, breathing shallowly.

Bruce does his best with what he has to hand. It’s a good first-aid kit, designed for all manner of lab emergencies. He makes use of the epipen full of painkillers and gets to work. Peter is surprisingly calm as he recounts how he foiled a robbery – in the middle of a storm, no less – but Bruce is terrified. Someone _shot_ this kid.

Ten minutes later, Bruce is holding a bullet in his tweezers and Peter is sighing with relief. ‘Thanks. By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you…’ He tries to sit up but Bruce stops him with a firm hand on his back. The wound is still bleeding. ‘I’m doing a school project and I was wondering if I could maybe interview you.’

Bruce huffs an incredulous laugh and gets up to take off his surgical gloves. ‘Sure. Maybe when that’s had some time to heal.’

By the time he’s finished tidying away all the evidence, Peter is sitting up and the bullet hole is completely gone. He’s a little unsteady but offers Bruce a hesitant smile as he picks up his mask, wringing the water from it. ‘Thanks,’ he says again, sincerely.

‘Any time,’ says Bruce, and prays there will never be another.

‘I’ll swing by tomorrow after school then, if you’re not busy?’

Something about that hopeful tone warms Bruce’s heart and before he realises it he’s smiling. ‘I’ll be here.’

Then Peter is gone and it's like none of this ever happened. Bruce hurries off to bed before Tony shows up and smells the guilt on him.

True to his word, Peter shows up the next afternoon and sits with Bruce in the lab. Tony hopped on a jet to Paris for a night of anniversary debauchery with Pepper, so Bruce has been on his own for most of the day. Peter asks him about what he’s working on, why he pursued a career in science, how he feels being an Avenger. Bruce finds himself enjoying it.

Peter is too. His eyes light up whenever he looks up from his notepad. He genuinely seems to find Bruce fascinating, and not just because of the Hulk. ‘One more question, Doctor Banner…’

Bruce winces. ‘Call me Bruce, please.’ Hearing a young voice say his name like that, it harkens back to Bruce’s childhood. His father would demand Bruce call him _sir_ and smack him if he didn’t. ‘I insist,’ he adds, more quietly.

‘Ha. Okay. Feels kinda weird calling my childhood hero by his first name.’ But he smiles as he scribbles in his notebook (is he writing that down?). ‘My last question…’ He looks up and the smile fades a little. ‘Do you feel like you and Hulk get along better now? That’s not a homework question, by the way.’ He hesitates. ‘I thought you were cool before all the Hulk stuff happened. You were in those _Fun Science For Kids_ videos, remember? We used to watch them at school.’

Bruce gapes. ‘They still show those?’

Peter nods. ‘I just wanted to know if you’re happy here. Must have been a rough five years.’

Bruce considers this. ‘We don’t always get along, but he and I are in a much better place now. Even better, it’s somewhere we can do some good. I’m glad to be here.’ He’s happy here. A world apart from that day in the arctic when he held a gun to his head.

Peter smiles back. ‘I’m glad you’re here too, Doc – Bruce.’ He shakes his head. ‘I’ll never get used to saying that. Thanks for the help.’

He shrugs. ‘It’s nice to have some company.’

He feels a strange pang as Peter tidies up his things and slings his bag over his shoulder. ‘Hey, Peter?’

Peter stops in the doorway. ‘Yeah?’

‘Anytime you want to visit…’ He waves a hand vaguely. ‘You know where I am.’

He grins. ‘Thanks, Bruce. Catch ya later!’

It turns out that Peter is happy to take him up on this offer.

Only a couple of days later, he shows up with a pair of safety goggles and some new suit schematics he wants to work on. Bruce isn’t getting anywhere with his own work so he takes the afternoon off to help out. That evening, when the Avengers gather for pizza night, Peter chooses the seat next to him.

It happens so slowly that Bruce doesn’t notice how much time they’re spending together. They play games on Peter’s Nintendo Switch, go for breakfast in hipster cafes and bake cookies for Clint’s birthday. Peter’s friends are too busy to meet up one weekend so Bruce goes to the movies with him instead.

One night, Bruce is reading a book in bed when his phone lights up. Peter has sent him... an image of a dinosaur? Underneath, a caption reads: _velociraptor = distanceraptor/timeraptor._

Bruce chuckles, and he realises that this kid has taken root in his heart.

Shit.

‘So is Doctor Banner like your dad now?’ Ned asks one afternoon. School is finished for the week, and Peter may have been chattering about Bruce for most of the day.

‘What? No!’ Peter laughs it off. ‘It’s not like that. I just think he’s cool… and we hang out sometimes.’

MJ gives him her trademark squint. ‘He _is_ kinda like a dad to you.’

‘Guys, no way.’ His face is heating up, but he can’t fight a smile. He does like Bruce a lot. Is that weird?

Bruce can’t have kids. For many reasons.

One: Hulk plus squishy human baby is not happening. Ever.

Two: Baby-making activity involves raised heartrate and a risk of Hulking out.

Three: Even if both these things were resolved, the blast of radiation that created Hulk also made Bruce sterile.

Bruce can never be a father. Even before Hulk happened, he knew that. But then Peter came along and now he’s not so sure.

‘See you later, I’m off to school.’ Peter crams toast in his mouth and stuffs his pyjamas into his backpack. After a long evening of gaming with Bruce he ended up staying the night. ‘See you later!’

‘Peter,’ Bruce calls after him, ‘Your homework!’

‘Oh yeah!’ Grinning, he turns back and swipes the papers from the kitchen table, then hurries out of the room. ‘Thanks, Dad!’

Bruce stares numbly after him, feeling like he's just been punched in the gut. A surge of different emotions flow through him, intense enough that Hulk stirs in his head, confused.

There’s a silence so long that he's sure Peter left without realising what he said. But then Peter slinks back in with a face as red as his suit. ‘I’m so sorry, I – I didn’t mean to say that – '

Bruce shakes his head, resisting the urge to wring his hands. ‘It’s fine. Forget about it.’ All the while, his guilt and his horror and his pride and his _happiness_ is all at war inside him.

‘I don’t know how that came out – I’ve never called anyone that, I never even _knew_ my dad…’ He trails, shoulders hunched in on himself. ‘Can we just pretend this conversation didn’t happen?’

‘Peter.’ He wants to put a hand on his shoulder, but is that overstepping? ‘It’s okay. Really.’

‘I’m just gonna go now,’ he mutters, backing out of the room. He nearly trips on the door frame on his way out.

And then he’s gone, and Bruce is left feeling like he screwed up somehow.

‘Dude, that is the number one most embarrassing thing you can say to someone!’ Ned says.

‘I know.’ Peter hides his head in his hand, pretending to concentrate on his textbook. ‘I don’t know, it just came out. I wasn't thinking.'

'I don't see the big deal,' says MJ from the table in front of him. 'He's clearly your nerdy not-dad. You introduced a forty-year-old guy to Mario Kart and meme culture. You taught him how to _dab._ He clearly cares about you.'

The teacher clears his throat. Everyone stares down at their desks.

Ned nudges him. 'MJ's right. Maybe you should just tell him how you feel?'

Peter just shrugs. Yes, he really likes Bruce. But that's a weird confession to throw at your... coworker? Friend? There's definitely something more to it, but he also senses that Bruce is holding back sometimes. And he's not sure why. 'I think I'm just gonna pretend nothing happened,' he mutters. 'But... I think I made it weird.'

When the teacher looks away to write on the whiteboard, MJ turns back. 'I got you. Both of you meet me at the front gate after school. Your buddy Iron Man could hook us up with a lift, right?'

Ned squeaks and knocks his pencil case off the desk. 'Are we going to meet _Bruce Banner?'_

There’s a fourth reason why Bruce can’t have kids, and it’s the biggest reason of all.

He doesn’t want to be like his father.

The memories bubble to the surface as he paces the lab. The beatings, the blaming, the bruises. Bruce’s failed experiment didn’t make the Hulk, not quite. Hulk himself had existed for much longer: as Bruce’s pent-up childhood anger, his rage against his father, an imaginary friend to protect him. When your son’s depression is so strong it acquires a personality … that’s when you know you _really_ messed up as a parent.

Bruce breaks everything he touches. He doesn’t want to break Peter too.

'What's eating ya, Brucie?' Tony steps in front of him when Bruce is on his thirteenth lap of pacing. 'You stuck on something?'

'Uh, in a way.' He turns away and wanders back to the table. 'I just... have some stuff on my mind lately.'

Tony watches him with folded arms. 'You're not giving me much to work with here.'

Bruce folds in on himself, hands tucked under his armpits. 'Old stuff. Nothing I can't handle.' He's still not really used to people being concerned for him. He's not accustomed to opening up. 'How's your uh, project coming along?'

'Is there a particular reason why this "old stuff" is resurfacing?' Tony's dark eyes are too knowing. Bruce can feel his excuses melting away under that sympathetic stare. 'You've been spending a lot of time with the kid lately. Seemed to be doing you some good.'

Bruce looks away. Suddenly that bottle of nitric acid is very interesting. 'He's fine. I'm fine. I just need some space for a while.'

The lab is silent apart from the humming of machinery. Then Tony's footsteps wander closer. 'Okay. But don't lock yourself in here forever, okay?' A hand pats his shoulder. 'I gotta run. Talk to you later?'

He nods. 'Sure.' He feels strangely guilty as Tony leaves the room, but he's got enough to deal with right now.

He tries to get interested in his work, but it's not really happening today. He goes through the motions anyway, tries to reorganise some of the chemical stocks.

When he looks up again, there are three teenagers watching him from across the lab. 'Uh, can I help you?'

Peter smiles apologetically. He looks like he's been dragged here; MJ’s hand is wrapped firmly around his elbow. She nudges Ned, who looks too starstruck to speak. ‘Peter says you know a good burger joint?’ she says hopefully.

Bruce sighs and gets his keys.

The atmosphere in the car is awkward at first. Peter rides shotgun and stares out of the window. Ned grips the back of Bruce's seat and rattles off endless questions. He asks what Bruce's favourite planet is (Bruce says Neptune because he knows better than to say _Uranus_ to a group of teenagers) and whether he thinks Ned's mom will let him get a parrot.

MJ stares at him in the mirror and he hopes that she's about to rescue him. But she just leans back in her seat and says, ‘So I read this conspiracy theory that the Hulk helped to fake the moon landing...'

Bruce puts his foot on the accelerator. God, and he thought Peter was weird sometimes.

The burger place is full, so they go through the drive-through and eat their spoils in the parking lot. Ned calms down a little once he's halfway through a milkshake, and Peter laughs at something MJ says, and suddenly they're all getting along. Bruce feels like a tired parent taking his kids out for the weekend, but he swiftly dismisses this thought. He finds himself enjoying it; MJ and Ned are fun to be around... in moderate doses. Peter is a little quieter than usual, but after a while they both forget about the awkwardness of that morning.

Until the food is finished, and it's time for everyone to go.

'Hey Peter, didn't you leave that important thing back at Stark Tower?' MJ says pointedly when Peter tries to follow them out.

Peter frowns. 'No, I have everything in my - oh, yeah actually.' He turns back to Bruce. 'Is it okay if I ride back with you, Doctor Banner?'

Bruce can't quite hide his cringe. From Peter's expression, it was a guilty slip of the tongue. 'Sure.'

MJ waves, and Ned only reluctantly gets out of the car. And then it's just the two of them.

'Thanks,' says Peter awkwardly. 'They really wanted to meet you. I think this was the best day of Ned's life.'

Bruce smiles back at him, but he feels it fading from his face as Peter stares back. 'Peter... we need to talk.'

At once, Peter's expression closes off. His shoulders hunch in, and he looks alarmingly like an ordinary kid braced for a telling off. 'What about?' he says lightly.

'You're a great person. You're kind, intelligent and I think you always see the best in people.' Bruce waits, but Peter won't look at him. 'I enjoy spending time with you. But... I don't know if I can be what you want me to be.'

Peter takes a moment to digest this. When he speaks, his voice is quiet. 'What do you mean?'

'I think you know what I mean. When people get close to me, they get hurt. It's not something I can control - '

'But you said that you and Hulk were doing better now. And I've seen what he's like, he doesn't lash out and hurt people anymore.' He looks away to stare out of the window. 'Anyway, I'm not exactly normal either, I could pick up and throw Hulk if I wanted to.'

The car still smells like food and laughter and it hurts Bruce's heart that he can't have this, he can't ever have this. Because every time he lets his guard down, people get hurt. 'I care about you too much to take that chance.'

Peter finally turns back and meets his eyes, and his lips are pressed together like he's trying not to cry. 'Bruce... I'm sorry but you can't keep using Hulk as an excuse to cut yourself off from people. He's better now, and so are you. You can't just push people away all the time.'

Anger flashes within him. 'Do you think I enjoy pushing people away? I - I _can't_ do this, Peter. I just can't.'

' _Why not?'_

'Because my father abused me so badly I turned into a monster! What makes you think I have any right to even be near you, let alone be your - ' His throat closes up.

Peter's quiet, shaky breathing is barely audible. When he finally speaks, his voice comes out hollow and deep. 'So by that logic, you think that because my parents died I don't deserve to have any?'

He blinks away the blurriness in his eyes. 'That's not what I meant.'

'It was my choice to be here, not just yours. And if you - ' Peter shakes his head, angrily wipes a tear from his eye and elbows the car door open.

'Peter,' Bruce calls after him, but Peter just steps out, leaving the door open, and walks away. 'Peter!'

That's when he hears the explosion.

A plume of smoke rises from somewhere straight ahead. People are screaming.

Peter turns back, eyes wide. He and Bruce share a panicked look, then they're both up and running towards the smoke. Peter grabs his mask from his bag and swings on ahead.

Bruce can only run at human speed. By the time he gets there, a small crowd has gathered on the sidewalk. An apartment building has partially exploded, and the whole thing is on fire.

He spots Peter, wearing his mask but still in his civilian clothes, as he climbs up the side of the building and disappears into an open window.

Bruce’s hand shakes as he grabs his phone. Tony picks up on the second ring. ‘Tony? There’s a huge fire over here. Looks like a gas explosion or something. Peter’s gone in and I can’t help him. Looks like the building could come down any minute.’

‘ _Shit. Okay, I’ve got your location. Sit tight, I’m on my way.’_ The line goes dead. And all Bruce can do is wait.

Peter swings out in a cloud of smoke and deposits a pair of sooty children on the ground. He’s coughing through his mask. Then he crawls up the wall to go back in.

Bruce spots Ned and MJ watching anxiously on the sidelines; they must have come running when they heard the commotion. They all exchange looks of helpless worry.

Peter reappears and carefully lowers an elderly woman to the ground. She's conscious but very wobbly. Onlookers help her to walk a safe distance away from the building. They can only watch as he brings out six more people. All the while, the smoke billows higher.

Hulk is _desperate_ to get out. Bruce is helpless against the rising tide of panic within him, but this isn't a situation where he's any use. Hulk would smash that building down and kill anyone still trapped inside.

By the time the fire brigade arrive, there’s no sign of Peter. Bruce’s hands are tucked into his pockets to hide the tinge of green. It’s been nearly ten minutes. Tony isn’t here.

And then someone leans through the smoke from a seventh-storey window. Peter grabs the edge of the windowsill, sways dizzily, aims a wobbly arm to shoot a web.

And then he falls.

‘CATCH HIM!’ Bruce screams, and then the Hulk bursts forth with a terrifying lurch of speed. Onlookers duck as he leaps up and plucks Peter from the air, landing safely on the other side of the building.

Peter is limp in Hulk’s arms until Hulk delicately pinches off his mask, and then he starts coughing violently. He spits out a gobful of black phlegm and lies still, gasping for air. ‘Thanks,’ he rasps. ‘Got a little dizzy in the smoke, think I got everyone out though.’ Already, they can hear the hiss of hoses as the firefighters take care of the blaze.

Hulk leans in to give Peter a hair-ruffling sniff, frowning at the stench of the smoke. ‘Hulk catch. You lucky.’

MJ and Ned appear around the side of the building and run towards them, relieved.

Peter squints up at Hulk, eyes streaming. Hulk stares at him for a long moment, then he smiles. ‘Spider Baby,’ he says.

Peter sits up. ‘Uh, it’s man actually. Spider-Man – ‘

‘Spider Baby,’ he insists, louder. ‘Hulk protect Spider Baby when puny Banner can’t.’

It takes a moment for this to sink in, then Peter laughs. ‘You know what? You saved me from a burning building so you can call me whatever you want.’ The sound of the crowd grows closer. He fidgets. ‘Maybe we should get going before someone sees us, though.’

Hulk gently sets Peter down. Before his feet can touch the ground, MJ grabs him in a tight hug. Behind him, Ned nods shakily. ‘How’s it going, Spider Baby?’ Peter just laughs.

Hulk grunts happily, and pats him on the head with a giant finger. 'Banner like Spider Baby. Tell Banner stop being coward.' Then he's fading and shrinking and before they can catch him Bruce has collapsed on the ground, gasping like he just ran a mile. 'Peter?' he rasps.

Peter crouches down to help him up. 'I'm good, thanks to you. Can you stand?'

Bruce nods, and together the four of them walk the long way back to the car. Peter's clothes are covered in soot and ash, and Bruce has to practically hold his pants on, but they make it back without being spotted. Even better, Iron Man is waiting for them.

Tony flips up his visor as they approach. 'Everyone okay? You did good Peter, by the time we got here there was no one left to rescue. Hop in, I'll get you guys home.'

They all get in. Tony puts his suit in the trunk and takes the wheel.

Bruce falls asleep within five minutes of them setting off. Peter smiles at his soft snores (he even _sleeps_ like a dad).

'He really does care about you, doesn't he?' Ned says quietly. 'He's normally super chill. I've never seen him that scared before.'

'Brucie here is a man of few words,' Tony tells them. 'But he's got a soft spot for a certain... Spider-Baby?'

Peter sighs. 'I'm never living this down, am I?'

Tony drops Peter's friends off home. As he turns a corner to head back to the tower, Bruce slumps sideways, his head now resting on Peter's shoulder.

With the last of his strength, Peter texts Aunt May to tell her he's staying over at the tower again. Then he rests his head on top of Bruce's and falls asleep too.

*

Two weeks later, everything is back to normal. Well... almost normal.

'And he wins again!' Peter cries, nearly throwing his controller in celebration.

Bruce slumps back in his seat with a regretful smile on his face. 'Victory by blue shell doesn't count.'

Tony shakes his head from the other side of the couch. 'Pitiful, Banner. I'd expect nothing less from a guy who picks Luigi.'

'I like green,' he says, mock-defensively.

'Hey, don't feel bad.' Peter smiles modestly. 'I'm actually the reigning champion of the Mario Kart club at school. You never really stood a chance.' He pats Bruce's shoulder consolingly.

'Alright, my turn.' Tony plucks the controller from Bruce's hand. 'I've been playing Mario Kart since the nineties. Bring it.'

As Tony and Peter race around the virtual track, exchanging banter, Bruce finds he can't stop smiling. In just a few short years, he's become a part of a family of his own. Why did it take him so long to realise that?

'Told ya.' Peter flashes Bruce a smirk as he nudges Tony into second place. It hits him all over again just how much he loves this kid, and Tony, and all of the friends he's made along the way.

When the race finishes, Tony stares at the screen in disbelief. 'There is _no way_ you didn't cheat just now.'

Peter shakes his head. 'Cross my heart. Maybe it's my spidey reflexes.' His eyes light up. 'Hey, I could bring Ned and MJ over sometime. I'll get some more controllers and we could have a proper showdown!'

Tony gets up and walks off. 'Give me a few days for my pride to recover. This ain't over, kid!'

When the door closes, Bruce chuckles. 'More like he needs time to practice before you defeat him again.'

Peter flicks through the menus, head now resting on Bruce's shoulder. 'It's mostly muscle memory, to be honest.' He sticks a hand up and offers Bruce Tony's discarded controller. 'Want me to show you a few tricks?'

Bruce smiles and tousles his hair before accepting it. 'Sure.' Despite all that has happened to him, he has not become his father. And he never will. Even Hulk has ceased to be a negative influence in his life; now he is a protector, ready to keep his loved ones safe when Bruce can't do it alone.

'For the record, there's no shame in picking Luigi. He's a criminally-underrated character.' With a sigh, Peter puts his feet up on Tony's vacant seat. 'I'll pick us a track. You happy with this one?'

Bruce hums and rests his chin on Peter's head. 'Very.'

'Cool.'

As one, they point their controllers at the screen and click _ready._

**Author's Note:**

> Bruce: I hurt everyone I touch I cannot be trusted to care for anyone :(  
> Bruce: *sees Peter*  
> Bruce: smol bby... must protect
> 
> The final scene is a little nod to [this lovely fic by Sally0](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18170258), which is my absolute favourite Bruce & Peter fic and introduced me to the "pairing" originally <3


End file.
